• Latest
  • Trending
Dear Hongrang Review

Dear Hongrang Review: Secrets, Sorrows, and Shifting Loyalties in Joseon

Mob Cops Review

Mob Cops Review: All Exposition, No Execution

A Vanishing Fog Review

A Vanishing Fog Review: Finding Beauty in the Coming End

Among The Whispers - Provocation Review

Among The Whispers – Provocation Review: More Detective Than Ghost Hunter

Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review

Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review: An Afterlife of Inconsistent Rules

Treading Water Review

Treading Water Review: A Phenomenal Performance in a Fractured Film

A Normal Family Review

A Normal Family Review: Four Performances in a Pressure Cooker

Drop Dead City Review

Drop Dead City Review: Portrait of a City as a Dying Animal

Into the Restless Ruins Review

Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

The President's Wife Review

The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

All the Lost Ones Review

All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

Kieran Culkin

Culkin Tells Fans to “Lower Expectations” for His Caesar Flickerman

16 hours ago
Jared Leto

Nine Women Detail Sexual-Misconduct Claims Against Jared Leto

16 hours ago
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Gazettely Review Guidelines
Monday, June 9, 2025
GAZETTELY
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Kieran Culkin

    Culkin Tells Fans to “Lower Expectations” for His Caesar Flickerman

    Jared Leto

    Nine Women Detail Sexual-Misconduct Claims Against Jared Leto

    David E. Kelley

    Kelley Says Cast Ready but Contracts Pending for ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3

    Twelve Moons

    Tribeca Crowd Rallies Behind Victoria Franco’s Fertility Drama Twelve Moons

    Gerard Butler

    Gerard Butler Boards Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon as Stoick

    american psycho

    Mary Harron Confronts American Psycho’s Unwanted Wall Street Fanbase

    Death Does Not Exist

    Annecy Debut for Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s Death Does Not Exist

    Martin Scorsese

    Scorsese Shuns Cinemas, Citing Distracting Audiences

    Sarah Jessica Parker

    Sarah Jessica Parker Confronts Fan Fury While AJLT Moves On Without Che

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Mob Cops Review

    Mob Cops Review: All Exposition, No Execution

    A Vanishing Fog Review

    A Vanishing Fog Review: Finding Beauty in the Coming End

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review: An Afterlife of Inconsistent Rules

    Treading Water Review

    Treading Water Review: A Phenomenal Performance in a Fractured Film

    A Normal Family Review

    A Normal Family Review: Four Performances in a Pressure Cooker

    Drop Dead City Review

    Drop Dead City Review: Portrait of a City as a Dying Animal

    The President's Wife Review

    The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

    All the Lost Ones Review

    All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review: Grief Without a Deeper Why

  • Game Reviews
    Among The Whispers - Provocation Review

    Among The Whispers – Provocation Review: More Detective Than Ghost Hunter

    Into the Restless Ruins Review

    Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

    Lies of P: Overture Review

    Lies of P: Overture Review – A Perfect, Paradoxical Prelude

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review – Hondo’s Best Outing Yet

    Mario Kart World Review

    Mario Kart World Review: The Thrill of the Race, The Emptiness of the Road

    POPUCOM Review

    POPUCOM Review: A Creative Co-op Masterpiece with Flaws

    Without a Dawn Review

    Without a Dawn Review: Introspection in a Cabin of Shadows

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review: Precision Platforming with a Divine Twist

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review: A Painter’s Tale in Bohemia

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Kieran Culkin

    Culkin Tells Fans to “Lower Expectations” for His Caesar Flickerman

    Jared Leto

    Nine Women Detail Sexual-Misconduct Claims Against Jared Leto

    David E. Kelley

    Kelley Says Cast Ready but Contracts Pending for ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3

    Twelve Moons

    Tribeca Crowd Rallies Behind Victoria Franco’s Fertility Drama Twelve Moons

    Gerard Butler

    Gerard Butler Boards Live-Action How to Train Your Dragon as Stoick

    american psycho

    Mary Harron Confronts American Psycho’s Unwanted Wall Street Fanbase

    Death Does Not Exist

    Annecy Debut for Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s Death Does Not Exist

    Martin Scorsese

    Scorsese Shuns Cinemas, Citing Distracting Audiences

    Sarah Jessica Parker

    Sarah Jessica Parker Confronts Fan Fury While AJLT Moves On Without Che

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Mob Cops Review

    Mob Cops Review: All Exposition, No Execution

    A Vanishing Fog Review

    A Vanishing Fog Review: Finding Beauty in the Coming End

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review

    Heavenly Ever After Season 1 Review: An Afterlife of Inconsistent Rules

    Treading Water Review

    Treading Water Review: A Phenomenal Performance in a Fractured Film

    A Normal Family Review

    A Normal Family Review: Four Performances in a Pressure Cooker

    Drop Dead City Review

    Drop Dead City Review: Portrait of a City as a Dying Animal

    The President's Wife Review

    The President’s Wife Review: Catherine Deneuve Reigns Supreme

    All the Lost Ones Review

    All the Lost Ones Review: Drowning in Its Own Plot Holes

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review

    Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror Review: Grief Without a Deeper Why

  • Game Reviews
    Among The Whispers - Provocation Review

    Among The Whispers – Provocation Review: More Detective Than Ghost Hunter

    Into the Restless Ruins Review

    Into the Restless Ruins Review: An Architect of Your Own Demise

    Lies of P: Overture Review

    Lies of P: Overture Review – A Perfect, Paradoxical Prelude

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review

    Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune Review – Hondo’s Best Outing Yet

    Mario Kart World Review

    Mario Kart World Review: The Thrill of the Race, The Emptiness of the Road

    POPUCOM Review

    POPUCOM Review: A Creative Co-op Masterpiece with Flaws

    Without a Dawn Review

    Without a Dawn Review: Introspection in a Cabin of Shadows

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review

    Aureole – Wings of Hope Review: Precision Platforming with a Divine Twist

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review

    Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Brushes with Death Review: A Painter’s Tale in Bohemia

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
GAZETTELY
No Result
View All Result
Dear Hongrang Review

My Father’s Shadow Review: Childhood Innocence Meets Political Upheaval

Rotten Legacy Review: Can Truth Survive in a Family at War?

Home Entertainment

Dear Hongrang Review: Secrets, Sorrows, and Shifting Loyalties in Joseon

Ayishah Ayat Toma by Ayishah Ayat Toma
3 weeks ago
in Entertainment, Reviews, TV Shows
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on WhatsAppShare on Telegram

Netflix’s foray into the Joseon era with “Dear Hongrang” (or “Tangeum”) presents a familiar setup: a child heir vanishes, plunging a noble family into chaos, only for a mysterious figure to resurface twelve years later claiming the lost identity. Adapted from Jang Da-hye’s novel “Tangeum: Geumeul Samkida,” the series promises a concoction of historical intrigue, familial drama, and simmering romance.

Yet, beneath the silk robes and traditional architecture, “Dear Hongrang” gestures towards contemporary anxieties about truth, identity, and the enduring weight of the past, all packaged for a global streaming audience increasingly hungry for complex Korean narratives. It’s a world where loss is a lingering phantom and a stranger’s arrival could mend old wounds or tear them catastrophically wider.

Heir Apparent or Artful Dodger? The Initial Deception

The disappearance of young Hongrang rips through the Sim family with predictable devastation. His mother, Min Yeon-ui, descends into a well of sorrow, while his half-sister, Jae-yi, clings to a sliver of hope, her search becoming a quiet rebellion against despair.

In this vacuum, the pragmatic father, Sim Yeol-guk, anoints an adopted son, Mu-jin, as the successor-in-waiting. Fast forward twelve years, and Lee Jae-wook materializes as the adult Hongrang, bearing the right scars and a curious lack of insistence that differentiates him from a parade of prior, less convincing fakes. This subtlety, however, fails to sway Jae-yi, portrayed by Jo Bo-ah with a steely resolve.

Her skepticism forms the investigative spine of the early episodes, transforming her from passive mourner to active interrogator. Is this the brother she lost, or a cleverly disguised interloper with an unknown game? The air thickens not just with familial tension but also with whispers of a spectral, white-haired entity preying on local children, a slightly jarring, though fashionable, supernatural flourish ensuring this historical piece isn’t just about courtly manners.

Tangled Threads of Kinship and Forbidden Yearnings

The emotional core of “Dear Hongrang” throbs within its densely woven relationships, particularly the perilous dance between Jae-yi and the man who might be her brother. As she probes his past, an undeniable connection sparks, one made all the more precarious by the specter of their supposed shared bloodline.

The series navigates this thorny “half-sibling” dynamic with a careful hand, letting the tension simmer. One wonders if this flirtation with taboo is a bold narrative stroke, reflective of streaming platforms’ willingness to push envelopes, or merely a melodramatic device. Meanwhile, Jung Ga-ram’s Mu-jin wears his unrequited affection for Jae-yi like a shroud, his status and hopes jeopardized by the prodigal’s return.

This trio forms an intense emotional vortex, their loyalties and desires shifting like sand. Beyond them, Uhm Ji-won’s Min Yeon-ui is a captivating force – her joy at Hongrang’s reappearance veers into something unsettling, her disdain for Jae-yi is palpable, and her grip on reality, possibly loosened by “medicinal” aids, makes her dangerously unpredictable in the family’s power games.

Sim Yeol-guk, the patriarch, remains a stern figure, his past ruthlessness a stark reminder of the stakes. The question of whom to trust becomes a spectator sport, with hidden agendas peeking from behind every polite smile.

Dominance Games and the Specter of Yesterday’s Sorrows

The re-emergence of Hongrang sends tremors through the Sim family’s merchant guild, reigniting the quiet war for influence between the emotionally volatile Min Yeon-ui and the established Sim Yeol-guk. It’s a classic power tussle, amplified by Joseon-era stakes, where lineage is currency and a lost son’s return can capsize fortunes.

Dear Hongrang Review

The narrative also dips its toes into broader political waters, hinting at royal secrets and the machinations of figures like Prince Han-pyeong (a somewhat underused Kim Jae-uck), adding layers of external pressure. These conflicts serve as a backdrop for the series’ deeper explorations. Grief is not merely an event but an environment, shaping Min Yeon-ui’s precarious sanity and Jae-yi’s relentless quest.

The fluid nature of Hongrang’s identity, Mu-jin’s struggle for legitimacy, and Jae-yi’s search for certitude all speak to a persistent human need for belonging and definition. This search occasionally warps into obsession, a theme the series paints with broad strokes, particularly in the almost pathological nature of maternal love and unrequited romantic fixation. The ever-present secrets suggest a truth we often see mirrored in societal reckonings: the past, with its deceptions and unresolved pain, rarely stays buried.

The Gaze of the Camera, The Echo of the Gayageum

“Dear Hongrang” lavishes attention on its aesthetic, a hallmark of K-dramas aiming for global prestige. The cinematography often bathes scenes in an almost ethereal glow, from candlelit chambers to mist-laden forests, enhancing the period’s mystique, sometimes at the expense of grit. Costumes are, naturally, immaculate.

The musical score, featuring the haunting “Burning Petals” by 4BOUT, effectively underscores both poignant moments and rising dread. Action sequences, when they occur, showcase Lee Jae-wook’s aptitude with a sword, adding kinetic bursts to the otherwise measured pace. Lee, already a familiar face from “Alchemy of Souls” – a savvy casting choice for international reach – embodies Hongrang with a compelling blend of aloofness and vulnerability.

Jo Bo-ah gives Jae-yi a quiet strength, while Jung Ga-ram’s Mu-jin is a study in pained stoicism. Uhm Ji-won, however, frequently steals scenes as the formidable Min Yeon-ui, teetering between maternal ferocity and unnerving fragility. The series adopts a deliberate, slow-burn pacing, allowing characters and their intricate dilemmas to unfold, a style well-suited to the binge-watch model, though its many subplots and flashbacks occasionally threaten to meander.

“Dear Hongrang” may not revolutionize the historical K-drama, but its commitment to emotional depth and high production standards solidifies the genre’s powerful appeal on the world’s streaming stage, leaving audiences with a lingering sense of beauty intertwined with sorrow.

Dear Hongrang premiered on Netflix on May 16, 2025, and consists of 11 episodes, each running between 60 to 70 minutes.

Full Credits

Director: Kim Hong-sun

Writer: Kim Jin-ah

Producer: Jong-hak Park

Cast: Lee Jae-wook, Jo Bo-ah, Jung Ga-ram, Uhm Ji-won, Park Byung-eun, Kim Jae-wook

Editor: Steve M. Choe

Composer: Kim Tae-seung

The Review

Dear Hongrang

7.5 Score

"Dear Hongrang" delivers a visually sumptuous and emotionally layered journey into Joseon-era intrigue, elevated by committed performances and a haunting atmosphere. While its intricate plot occasionally verges on convoluted and some romantic configurations feel well-trodden, its thoughtful probing of grief, identity, and the weight of secrets makes it a compelling, if not flawless, addition to the global K-drama landscape. It effectively uses its historical setting to explore timeless human anxieties, leaving a lingering impression of beauty and sorrow.

PROS

  • Stunning cinematography and rich period detail.
  • Strong performances, particularly from Lee Jae-wook and Uhm Ji-won.
  • Deeply atmospheric, effectively building suspense and emotional weight.
  • Thoughtful exploration of complex themes like loss, identity, and power.
  • Intriguing central mystery surrounding Hongrang's return.

CONS

  • Narrative can feel overly complicated with its many subplots and twists.
  • The slow-burn pacing might not appeal to all viewers.
  • Some romantic elements rely on familiar tropes, and the "half-sibling" tension can feel strained.
  • Certain plot threads, like the supernatural hints, feel somewhat underdeveloped.

Review Breakdown

  • Overall 0
Tags: Acemaker MovieworksDear HongrangDramaEO Contents GroupFeaturedH HouseHistoryJo Bo-ahJung Ga-ramKim Hong-sunKim Jae-WookLee Jae-wookMysteryNetflixPark Byung-eunSeo Woo-jinStudio DragonUhm Ji-won
Previous Post

My Father’s Shadow Review: Childhood Innocence Meets Political Upheaval

Next Post

Rotten Legacy Review: Can Truth Survive in a Family at War?

Try AI Movie Recommender

Gazettely AI Movie Recommender

This Week's Top Reads

  • Boglands Review

    Boglands Review: Shadows and Whispers in the Irish Mist

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Amongst the Wolves Review: A Gritty yet Compassionate Directorial Debut

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Stick Season 1 Review: Owen Wilson Drives a Heartfelt, Flawed Dramedy

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mad Unicorn Review: Ambition and Its Echoes in the Global Stream

    3 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Survivors Season 1 Review: A Town Drowning in Secrets

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Mortician Season 1 Review: Inside a House of Horrors and Profiteering

    7 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Black Forest Murders Review: Beyond Spectacle, Into the Grim Expanse

    2 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Must Read Articles

Mario Kart World Review
Reviews Games

Mario Kart World Review: The Thrill of the Race, The Emptiness of the Road

2 days ago
Echo Valley Review
Movies

Echo Valley Review: Moore Shines in a Flawed Thriller

2 days ago
Lost in Starlight Review
Movies

Lost in Starlight Review: Almost Reaches the Stars

2 days ago
Ginny & Georgia Season 3 Review
TV Shows

Ginny & Georgia Season 3 Review: Survival Is a Brutal Art Form

2 days ago
Tires Season 2 Review
TV Shows

Tires Season 2 Review: More Than Just a Blue-Collar Gag-Fest

2 days ago
Loading poll ...
Coming Soon
Who is the best director in the horror thriller genre?

Gazettely is your go-to destination for all things gaming, movies, and TV. With fresh reviews, trending articles, and editor picks, we help you stay informed and entertained.

© 2021-2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

What’s Inside

  • Movie & TV Reviews
  • Game Reviews
  • Featured Articles
  • Latest News
  • Editorial Picks

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About US
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Review Guidelines

Follow Us

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movies
  • Entertainment News
  • Movie and TV Reviews
  • TV Shows
  • Game News
  • Game Reviews
  • Contact Us

© 2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

Go to mobile version